Recuperative annealing furnace



Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK T. COPE, OF SALEM, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC F'URNACE COMPANY,

OF SALEM, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO REGUPERATIVE ANNEALING FURNACE Application led August 20, 1926.

be continuously passed through an upright a chamber, provided at its upper end with heating means forming a heating chamber at the top, and a recuperative chamber beneath-the same, means being provided for automatically charging the material upon the conveyer atthe entrance side of the chamber and automatically discharging the material therefrom at the exit side thereof.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view on the line 1--1, Fig. 2;

Fig. 2,y a vertical sectional view on the line 22, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3, a detail perspective view of one of the links of the conveyer.

Similar numerals refer to similar throughout the drawings.

The furnace comprises the upright metal shell 1, rovided with heat insulation 2, and a re ractory lining 3, being supported by the structural frame 4` and having the entrance and exit openings 5 and 6, at opposite sides of its lower portion.

Suitable .heating means, such as the electric resistor elements 7, are provided in the upper portion of the furnace, forming a heating chamber which may be divided, as

parts shown at 8, from the lower or recuperative portion 9.

A pair of endless conveyer chains 10 are supported vertically within the furnace, upon the upper and lower sprocket wheels 11 and 12, mounted upon the shafts 13 and 14, respectively. For the purpose of driving the conveyer the upper shaft 13 may be Serial No. 130,523.

provided upon the outside of the furnace, with a sprocket wheel 15, operatively con nected by a sprocket chain 16, lwith a sprocket wheel 17 upon the shaft 18 arranged to be driven, through the gear reduction 19, as by the motor 20L The chains 10 are provided at spaced intervals with links 21, having the substantiallydovetailed notches 22 in their outer edges, arranged to receive the rods 23, upon which the coils 24 of wire, and the like, are carried.

For the purpose of preventing the coils from becoming distorted under the high temperature of the furnace an arcuate saddle 25 may be formed upon each rod to hold the coils substantially in circular form as -illustrated in Fig. 1.

The rods 23, with the coils of material thereon, are placed upon the charging conveyer chain 26, located through the entrance opening 5 or the furnace and arranged to move in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1. The chain 10 is arranged to be continuously moved in the direction of the arrow shown thereon and thus as each pair of notches 22 in the chain 10 registers with one of the rods 23, as shown at A in Fig. 1, the rod carrying the material is picked up by the chain 10 and slowly carried upward through the furnace, the material being preheated by recuperation from the descending heated material on the other side of the chain.

Each coil of material is thus passed upward and through the heatin chamber and.

then downward to the exit slde of the furnace, where it is taken off by .the discharging chain 27, arranged to be continuously moved in the direction of the arrows shown thereon in Fig. 1, each rod being released from the notches 22 of the chain 10 as it reaches the point shown at B in Fig. 1.

From the above it will be obvious that a simple and eiiicient, automatically operated furnace is provided for annealing coils ofA wire and the like, the material being automatically charged into the furnace, carried upward through the recuperative chamber, where it is preheated by recuperation from the outgoing heated material, then passsd through the heating chamber and downward to the exit side of the furnace, giving up its heat to the incomin cold material and being automatically discharged from the conveyer as above described.

An advantage of this furnace is that the chamber bein sealed, drafts are revented, thus minimizlng the oxidation o material being heated or annealed therein.

I claim 1. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means at one end of the chamber, a .pair of endless conveyer chains suspended within the chamber and provided with spaced notches in their outer edges, and rods arranged to be seated in said notches, to form a conveyor for supporting coils of wire and the like.

2. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means at one end of the chamber, a pair of endless conveyer chains suspended within the chamber and provided with spaced notches in their outer edges, and rods arranged to be seated in said notches to form a conveyor for supporting coils of Wire and the like, said rods having arcuate saddles for reventing distortion of the coils.

3. A urnace including a vertical chamber, heating means at one end of the chamber Ia pair of endless conveyor chains suspended within the chamber and provided with spaced notches in their outer edges, rods arranged to be seated in said notches and a charging conveyor at'the opposite end from the heating means arranged to move said rods into engagement `with said notches, to form a conyyor for supporting coils of wire and the 4. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means at one end of the chamber, a pair of endless conveyor chains suspended within the chamber and provided with spaced notches in their outer edges, rods arranged to be seated in said notches to form a con-y veyor for supporting coils of wire and the like and a discharging conveyer located at the opposite end from said heating means and arranged to move said rods out of engagement with said notches.

5. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means at one end 0f the chamber, a pair of endless conveyer chains suspended `within the chamber and provided with spaced y notches in their outer edges, rods arranged to be seated in said notches, a charging conveyer at the opposite end from the heating vmeans arranged to move said rods into engagement with said notches to form a conveyor for supporting coils of wire and the like and a dischargin conveyer arran ed to move said rods out o engagement wit said notches.

6. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means at one end of the chamber,

conveyer chains suspended within the chamber and provided with means for hooking on material to be carried through the chamber, anda charging conveyer at the opposite end from the heatlng means for charging material upon said chains.

7. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means at one end of the chamber, conveyer chains suspended within the chamber and provided with means for hooking on material to be carried through the chamber, a charging conveyer at the opposite end from the heating means for charging material upon Asaid chains and a discharging conveyer arranged to receive material from said chains.

8. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means in the chamber, conveyer chains suspended within the chamber, charging and discharging conveyer chains at the lower end of the chamber and crossing the path of the first named conveyer chains and means yfor automatically transferring material from the charging conveyer chains to the first named conveyer chains and then to the discharging conveyer chain.

9. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means in the chamber, conveyer chains sus ended within the chamber, substantially orizontal charging and discharging conveyer chains at the lower end of the chamber and crossing the path of the first named conveyer chains and means for automatically transferring material from the charging conveyer chains to the first named conveyer chains and then to the discharging conveyer chain.

10. A furnace including a vertical chamber, heating means in the chamber, conveyer chains suspended within the chamber and provided with dovetailed notches, charging and discharging conveyer chains at the lower end of the chamber and crossing the path of the first named conveyer chains and rods for carrying coils of materialv arranged to be carried into the chamber upon the charging conveyer chains, the dovetailed notches in the first named conveyer chains being arranged to automatically receive said rods from the charging chain, carry the rods through the heating chamber and automatically deposit the same upon the discharging conveyer chains.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

' FRANK T. COPE. 

